Chopped Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing

I went to an Eat Like a Yogi vegan cooking class about six months ago with Siri Bani Kaur of Kundalini Yoga Boston. Most of the dishes were also raw. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to like the food as much as I did but everything was great. The Kale Salad recipe was so delicious that I've adapted it, and the tahini dressing slightly, and made it several times since the class.

Chopped Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing, adapted from Siri Bani Kaur's recipe
Kale Salad
1 bunch of kale
3 medium carrots
1 avocado
1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes
1 English cucumber
1 small red onion, finely diced
~ 2 c cooked quinoa, optional

Tahini Dressing
1/4 c Tahini
2 T Brewer's yeast
2 cloves garlic, pressed
juice from 2 lemons
3 T extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
1/2 t sea salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 T water, or as needed

This recipe makes a huge amount, so make it when you have guests (or decrease the ingredients). It will last for a few days, but because everything is raw, you'll want to enjoy it quickly.

Chop the ingredients for the kale salad into bite-sized pieces and place in large bowl (I use the largest bowl I have or a large cooking pot); add the quinoa. Gently mix together so you don't mash the avocado.

For the dressing, mix all ingredients except the water. Add the water a little at a time, until you get the consistency you like. Add the dressing to the vegetables and stir gently.

Enjoy!

the easiest way to cut up an avocado...slice top to bottom
and then across...

and then scoop out with a spoon

all of the chopped up veggies

kale is washed and ready to be chopped into bite-sized pieces

the quinoa cooks while I chop up the veggies

ready to mix everything together

the tahini sauce is ready too

pour the sauce over the vegetable-quinoa mix and stir gently

done...so healthy and delicious!

served with some french bread crostini

yum!!

Bye for now...

Mixed Vegetable & Red Quinoa Stew

I get a weekly delivery from Boston Organics so I've been trying to find - or make up - recipes to use the contents of my boxes. Sometimes it can be difficult and I wind up with tons of potatoes or kiwis or something. But, for the most part I really love getting fresh fruit and vegetables delivered right to my door, and having the surprise of not knowing exactly what I'll get.

Here is a vegetable and red quinoa stew I made recently. I made up the recipe based on what I had in the delivery: carrots, kale (or any other green would work), onions, zucchini, summer squash, and garlic; olive oil, salt and pepper, and some hot sauce, with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice added at the end complete the dish.

ingredients - use what you like!

cooking down the carrots and onions in some olive oil

while the carrots and onions cook, I started the quinoa.
I love quinoa - so easy and very healthy!

the chopped garlic and kale are added to the carrots and onions mixture

after the kale softens, add the zucchini and summer squash
which don't need to cook for too long

done! How easy was that?

the quinoa is done when the germ (the yellow spiral bit) separates from the germ

mix the vegetables and quinoa together, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the top...
and voila!

time to enjoy a bowl

delicious!

Bye for now...